


Airplane Conversations

by kroas_adtam, OrangePatrick



Series: CHB AU [2]
Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Angst, Camp Half-Blood, Demigods, Fluff, M/M, Pining, crack ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-20 07:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11916177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kroas_adtam/pseuds/kroas_adtam, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangePatrick/pseuds/OrangePatrick
Summary: Otto is tired of watching his two best friends and demigods tiptoe around each other. So he and his friends put their heads together to fix the situation, all the while dealing with a secret relationship he has to hide from his very powerful and very nosy dad.





	1. Strawberry Fields

Otto was lying in the strawberry fields, alone, eyes closed towards the sun. He had headphones in, freshly stolen from Cabin 3, his best friend’s cabin. Awsten wouldn’t miss them until nightfall, which gave the son of Hermes plenty of time to return them. He was enjoying some pop-punk tunage when he felt a familiar warm pair of lips press slowly against his, and the comforting, swirling scent of flowers overwhelm his sense of smell. He smiled into the kiss, sighing a little, not bothering to open his eyes, wrapping an arm around the neck of his kisser. When the kiss was broken, Otto felt some soft fingers trail over his cheek, moving some of his long hair out of the way. He opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the sunlight, he smiled lazily up at the handsome flame red-head who was hovering over him.

“Mm, public kissing, quite daring of you.” Otto mumbled, tilting his head up to close the gap and kiss the red-head again. The other grinned back after the kiss, running a finger down the angle of Otto’s sharp cheekbone.

“I have a charm on me so my mom can’t spy.” Jawn kissed the tip of Otto’s nose.

Otto ran his long fingers through Jawn’s messy red hair. “I probably look insane to my dad then, petting nothing and kissing nothing.”

“I put a charm on you too, we’re invisible to them.” Jawn said softly, kissing Otto once more.

Otto loved days like this, having nothing to do, meeting in this secret part of the strawberry field with his secret boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around Jawn’s neck, the red-head wrapped his arms around Otto’s waist, turning the kiss more passionate. Otto sighed into the kiss, feeling the fire their secret relationship gave them both. When they broke apart, the just stayed quiet for a moment, Otto tucking his head under Jawn’s chin, listening to his heartbeat. Jawn pulled off Otto’s beanie and pressed his face into his soft brown hair.

“I’m supposed to tell you that the Ares and Athena cabins are planning a capture the flag, and they need to get Geoff and Awsten in on it.” Jawn’s muffled voice came just from over Otto’s ear.

Otto groaned and just tightened his grip on his boyfriend. “I have to go tell them, right?”

“Mm. I don’t think Awsten likes me much, so I try to avoid him.”

“Awsten was jealous of you because of your fling with Geoff.” Otto tilted his head back, finding his boyfriend’s lips again. “And Awsten doesn’t know how to deal with feelings like that.”

Jawn grinned into the kiss. “You were jealous too, babe. And you dealt with it fine.”

Otto grinned too. “Because I stole you. I’m really, really good at stealing.”

“Mm, you’re really, really good at other stuff too.” Jawn mumbled against Otto’s lips. Otto laughed into the kiss, making Jawn laugh too. They lied in the strawberry fields for a few more minutes before sitting up and sighing. Otto looked at Jawn, sadness tinged his heart.

“I wish our parents didn’t hate each other, I’d love to have to not hide.”

Jawn nodded, pushing a hand through his flame-hair. He looked at Otto, leaning over and kissing him one last time. Otto held his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched his boyfriend get up to leave. Jawn leaned down and kissed Otto’s forehead before placing the beanie back over his brown hair.

“I love you, thief.”

Otto smiled lightly. “I love you too, rainbow boy.” He grinned. Jawn just winked and left the field. Otto sighed and got up a few minutes later. He wrapped the headphones around the ipod and stuck it in his jeans pocket. He made his way back to the cabins, easily slipping back into Awsten’s, putting the ipod back on its charger. When he exited the cabin, unnoticed, as usual, he started running down the path, to where he was sure his two best friends were avoiding their feelings and mutual pining.

Otto came to a halt at the top of the dock, watching the scene before him. Geoff was soaking wet, Awsten perfectly dry, both were more than likely teasing each other about something dumb, when he watched Geoff pinch Awsten’s cheek. Otto grinned.

“Are you guys being gross?” Otto’s voice startled Geoff and he snapped his hand away from Awsten’s face.

“Geoff’s being mean!” Awsten shouted back to Otto.

“I told Awsten he could touch my butt, and he called me a loser!” Geoff shouted too, the two demigods making their way up to where Otto was standing.

Otto just shook his head to keep from dying with laughter. “Passing up good opportunities, Awsten. I came with a message: the Ares and Athena cabins are planning a capture the flag game before the summer gets into full swing. Right now Athena has Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Aphrodite, but Ares has Demeter, Hermes, and Apollo. Are you guys playing?”

Geoff sighed, pushing on to his feet. “I probably should, since I’m the Apollo counselor.”

“Sweet, I’ll let Ares know we got Poseidon, too.” Otto said, nodding to Awsten.

He frowned. “Hey, I never said I was gonna play.”

Otto grinned that know-it-all grin. “Yeah, but if Geoff is playing, then it’s just kind of assumed that you’re on his side.” He shrugged. “I mean, it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Or,” Geoff said, heading up away from the dock, so neither of his best friends can see his face. “You can play for Aphrodite’s side.” He was teasing, but hoped his tone didn’t sound as upset as he felt.

Otto looked after him, concerned about the tone he had heard. “What’s up with him?” He looked to Awsten, who was frowning deeply.

“I’m not sure, he hasn’t said anything to me.” He replied, helplessness in his voice.

Otto watched Awsten join Athena’s cabin’s team, and can’t help but feel the bitterness and jealously radiate off of Geoff as they walked together to the Ares’ side. Otto glanced to the edge of the forest, a certain flame-headed son of Iris catching his eye. Otto, his mind changing about joining his half siblings in the game, he fell back and snuck to the wooded area, where his boyfriend was waiting for him, leaning against a tree.

“Hey there, sneaky.” Jawn grinned. He held up a hand and Otto stopped short of him. Jawn glanced around and held up a little vial.

“What’s that?”

“The charm, I got one made for you too.” He pulled out his own little vial that was hanging around his neck. “Put it on and we’re invisible to our parents.”

Otto sighed a bit and took the charm with a thanks.

“What’s wrong?”

“Awsten and Geoff.”

“Oh,” Jawn let out a sigh of relief, he thought Otto was upset about the charm. “What are they doing this time? Still pretending Awsten is straight?”

Otto nodded, stepping into his boyfriend’s open arms. Jawn hugged Otto tight, one hand on the small of his back, the other finding its way into Otto’s hair.

“They’re just so frustrating. I just wish Geoff had the balls to say something… Or Awsten could get his head out of his ass long enough to see what everyone else obviously sees.” Otto mumbled into Jawn’s sweater.

“Well hey, I think I could talk to someone who might be able to help.”

“Hm? Who?”

“That girl Awsten is crushing on.”

“You know about that?”

“Babe, _everyone_ knows about it. Awsten’s not the most subtle guy. We all knew when he was… and still is madly in love with Geoff.”

“Did you know when I had a crush on you?”

“I mean, it wasn’t hard to tell, you kept causing things to happen that just put us two alone.” Jawn grinned, his fingers rubbing the back of Otto’s neck, a motion he knew would make Otto shiver. And it did.

“Mm, you cheat when you do that.” Otto said, his voice as weak as his knees.

“You’re just mad because I know all your magic spots.” Jawn said, tilting Otto’s chin up and kissing him deeply again.

“Oh my.” Said a voice that startled them both. They broke apart to see one of Geoff’s siblings, a 17 year-old who’s name Otto couldn’t remember.

“Oh shit.” Jawn mumbled.

“No, no, no. Hey! Swear to the gods, you can’t tell Geoff! Or Awsten! Or fuckin’ _anyone_ for that matter!” Otto said his heart jumping into his throat.

The girl looked confused. “Why would I tell anyone? It’s not my business.”

“No, you don’t understand, if anyone found out, especially our _parents_ ,” Otto gestured to Jawn and himself. “We could be in deep shit. Like, burning hail from the heavens kind of trouble.”

She pursed his lips and shrugged. “Otto, you’re my big brother’s best friend. I wouldn’t do anything to put you in danger.” Her eyes, blue like the sky, but not as crystal clear like Geoff’s, turned to Jawn, who flinched a bit. “You, however, better treat this guy like he is your sun and moon. He’s family to the Apollo cabin, and we protect our family.”

Jawn just responded by wrapping his arms back around Otto’s waist, resting his chin on the son of Hermes’ shoulder. “I swear I will.”

She nodded, and ran off to rejoin the game. Otto turned in Jawn’s arms and smiled a bit. “Maybe we should go somewhere more… secluded?”

“Oh my, how inappropriate, son of Hermes.” Jawn grinned, pressing his forehead to Otto’s.

“You pervert.” Otto grinned, closing his eyes for a second as the familiar earthy flowery scent floated off his boyfriend.

“Don’t you want to watch the game? See who wins?”

“We both know whatever side Awsten is on will win. You can’t do much to beat the son of Poseidon. Plus, I’m sure the monsters will be out soon.”

“Where should we go? The strawberries?”

“No, I think the kids from cabin 12 who aren’t playing, are out there picking the berries. The stables?”

Jawn thought for a moment. “Yeah, that should be good.”

They walked to the stables, pinkies hooked together as they did. They talked about nothing and everything while they walked. It was easy, being children of messenger gods, to start a small meaningless conversation and letting it turn into a deep and revealing one. That’s how Otto fell in love with Jawn. And to be honest, it was how Jawn fell in love with Otto too.

When they got to the stables, they could see and hear the entire game from one of the windows. They leaned against the frame, still talking, getting closer to each other as each minute went by. Otto had forgotten about the game by the time he was pressed against Jawn’s broad chest, his hands smoothing out his sweater. Jawn’s arms were around Otto’s waist again.

If it seems like they enjoyed being very close, you’d be correct. Today was a rare day where they got to be alone more than once. Usually, they only get to be alone for about 30 minutes once a week. So they took any opportunity they could find. Usually started out with their conversations, then the words would melt away into kissing, cuddling and all around gayness.

“Do you ever wonder what would happen if we let our parents see us together? Do you really think it’d be all hail-fire and nearly apocalyptic circumstances?” Jawn asked quiety, fingers slowly trailing over Otto’s facial features. Jawn loved feeling Otto’s skin, how his bones made sharp angles. If Jawn were blind, he’d like to believe it’d still be easy to see Otto’s handsomely beautiful face. He also did it because he loved how quickly Otto turned into putty under his touch.

“I think it would not be a fun situation.” Otto said, tilting his head into Jawn’s touch, closing his eyes. His hands slid down from Jawn’s chest and rested on his hips. Aphrodite must be so proud with how grossly in love they were. “My dad is pretty chill, but he also has an angry side I’ve only seen once. And I’d rather not see it again. And from the legends I’ve heard, I know that he and your mom have had catastrophic meetings.”

Jawn sighed and pressed his face into Otto’s hair again. “I hate sneaking around… but I don’t want to lose you…”

“I don’t want that either.” Otto said, turning his face into Jawn’s neck.

They barely had the chance to kiss when they heard a horn blare from the direction of the game. Both groaned, having to break apart too soon.

“Game’s over. Someone must have won.”

“10 bucks says it was Awsten’s team.” Otto chuckled.

“I’m not dumb enough to take that bet.” Jawn replied, grinning at his boyfriend. He gave him a quick peck before they heard a group headed their way.

“Shit, that’s probably the Apollo kids. We should head back.”

“Yeah, I guess I should go check on the little kleptomaniacs.”

“And I should make sure my siblings haven’t stolen all the paint from the arts and crafts tent. They were talking this morning about wanting to paint each of their bunks different colors.”

Before they left the stable, the son of Hermes stole kiss from the son of Iris.

“Try not to miss me too much, thief.” Jawn said, winking at his boyfriend as he opened the stable doors.

“I’ll do my best, rainbow boy.” Otto grinned back. He let Jawn leave first, then he slipped out, passing the group of Apollo kids who were headed inside. He passed Geoff who was trailing far behind them.

“Hey, how was the game?”

He shrugged. “Athena won.”

Of course they did.

“You alright?”

Geoff shrugged again. “I guess… just…”

“I know, man…”

Geoff sighed and patted Otto’s shoulder, his face going slack at the moment he touched Otto’s shoulder. Otto waited, staying still, knowing Geoff was having a vision or… maybe a seizure? When Geoff’s eyes slid back into focus, he looked concerned at Otto.

“You should take off that charm, your dad is looking for you. But be sure you keep wearing it around Jawn. Bad things will come if you forget it.”

Otto swallowed hard and removed the charm vial from around his neck. His cheeks flushed and he looked at Geoff to explain the whole Jawn thing. Geoff just held up a hand to stop him before he could start.

“Jawn and I had a thing—if you can even call it that—4 years ago. And it was pretty obvious when you had a crush on him.” Geoff grinned, the sun glinting off his gold nose ring. “Just make sure his mom doesn’t find out.”

Otto looked disbelieving after his best friend.

So… Otto and Jawn’s mutual feelings were obvious to the son of Apollo… but Awsten’s feelings were still something Geoff couldn’t see?

Otto mumbled to the wind, knowing Apollo would hear, as that guy always kept tabs on his eldest son. “For a God of Prophecy, your son’s inner eye sure is cloudy where it counts.”


	2. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's helpful to be friends with the children of Hades.

Otto was at the table, eating lunch with his siblings, when a little paper airplane floated down neatly next to his hand. He glanced around one of the kids, and saw his boyfriend, a tiny grin on that handsome tan face, eyes gazing around, obviously avoiding looking at Otto, badly “pretending” he didn’t just toss a paper airplane at him. But everyone at Camp Half-Blood knew if a paper airplane came at you, it was surely from one of the children of Iris. Otto just smiled and shook his head, opening the note. This was the only way they could communicate in public.

‘ _What did your dad want?’_ was written in a neat scrawl, the ink a vibrant red, just like Jawn’s hair and favorite color.

“Pen?” He looked around at his table, one of the little thieves had to have nicked one off an Apollo kid. Sure enough, one of his sisters handed him a very nice one that had a gold lyre carved into the pearl hull. Otto looked at it for moment, then back at her. “Return this, it looks like a gift from Apollo himself.”

“But it’s so pretty.”

“Return it, April.”

She pouted, crossing her arms.

Otto used the pen to scribble back an answer, his handwriting naturally loopy and elegant, no matter how quickly or lazily he wrote. It was a gift from his dad. Most of his siblings has annoyingly beautiful handwriting.

‘ _Couldn’t find him. He gets pretty flaky, it’s all good.’_ He folded up the airplane just as Jawn had, held it up to his lips, and with a gentle breath, the airplane elegantly looped back over to Jawn.

‘Show off.’ Jawn mouthed at him with a grin, before reading it. After he read the short note, his face fell into a concerned scowl and Otto tilted his head, watching him respond with that red pen. The plane made its way back, not as gracefully, but still strong enough to land in the same spot as before.

‘ _Starwberry fields, one hour, I’ve got some news from Ciara, and I miss you.’_

Otto couldn’t help but smile at the sentiment. He wrote back with the pen.

‘ _I’ll see you there.’_ The airplane wizzed off and found its owner. Otto handed the pen back to April, instructing her to give it back to which ever Apollo kid she stole it from. She grumbled and stood from the Hermes table, using some stealth to silently walk past the Apollo table and slip it into—Otto rolled his eyes and shook his head.—of course, Geoff’s back pocket. Geoff was too easy a target for his siblings. They far often took advantage of his kindness.

Otto’s eyes were caught by seeing Ciara stand and walk over to Awsten’s table where he sat alone. He raised his eyebrows watching the exchange he couldn’t hear. But he did notice Geoff, a table away, freeze and watch too. They talked very briefly, but she went back to her table with a smile. Otto watched her look up, catching Geoff’s eye, whose head bowed quickly back down.

A little while later, Otto was leisurely walking towards the fields when he noticed Awsten, Ciara, and the entirety of Aphrodite’s cabin pulling canoes down, pushing them into the water. He paused and looked around, wondering if Geoff had seen them too. He watched them push out to the water, paddling out towards the center. Otto pursed his lips for a moment, mildly wondering what Jawn knows from Ciara. The reminder that his boyfriend is waiting, made him continue walking to the fields. Once he entered, he put the charm back over his neck. He walked for about 10 minutes to their secret part of the patch, the part that most of the (usually lazy) pickers don’t come to because it’s so far away. So it’s usually overgrown with giant delicious strawberries, varying in shades of red. But Otto only picked some that were the shade of red that Jawn loved. As soon as he found the clearing, he spotted his flame-headed boyfriend, sitting on the ground playing with his camera that he never left the cabin without. Otto used his own stealth and snuck up behind him, wrapping his arms around his shoulder. Jawn turned his head and pressed a kiss into Otto’s temple.

“Hey there.” Otto said, kissing along his jaw, the stubble ticking his nose.

“Hey handsome.” Jawn replied, leaning his head into Otto’s. He rested his hands in his lap, still cradling the camera, letting his eyes close for a moment, enjoying the way Otto smelt like a combination of the air after a fresh rain, and spearmint.

Otto sat next to Jawn and watched him play with his camera. “What did you hear from Ciara? She took Awsten and the entirety of Cabin 10 onto the lake.

“Well, I guess she has some message from her mom, about Geoff and Awsten, and she’s going to talk to Awsten today about Geoff and try and fish out where his feelings are."

“But Awsten likes _her._ ”

“Oh, she knows.” Jawn said, looking through the camera lens, snapping some pictures of the strawberries and horizon.

Otto held up a ripe strawberry that was the perfect shade of red. Jawn grinned and took a bite of the fruit that his boyfriend held. Otto made a face, watching the red juice dribble down Jawn’s chin and over his hand. He hated being sticky.

“Oh my, I am _so_ sorry, however will you get the juice off you?” Jawn teased, a wide grin stretching across his face. Otto just stuck out his tongue at his boyfriend, and teased him back by licking the juice off his own skin, finishing off the half-eaten berry. When he looked back at Jawn, the other was staring, mouth half open.

“You shouldn’t do that again if you know what’s good for you, thief.” Jawn teased/threatened quietly.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?” Otto smirked back.

Jawn leaned in for a kiss but Otto just shoved another strawberry into the red-head’s mouth, then doubled over in laughter at the shock on Jawn’s face.

Jawn just shoved Otto over, leaving the son of Hermes giggling in the grass. Jawn chewed on the sweet berry, watching his boyfriend smile in the sun. He held up his camera, and captured a perfect picture of Otto and his mischievous smile, the one that Jawn loved madly. When he lowered his camera, Otto was looking up at him, still smiling.

“What?” Jawn said, smiling back at him, his lips stained red from the berries.

“Nothing, just… thinking about the first time we kissed.”

Jawn smiled, the memory rushing to him too. “Yeah… spin the bottle. Not your most subtle move.”

Otto laughed. “Hey, I wanted to kiss you, and it was either that or 7 minutes in heaven. And no one would have let the Hermes kids play, they’d be too afraid we’d steal everything.”

“You guys _would_ steal everything.”

Otto shoved Jawn’s knee. “Don’t be mean.” Jawn adjusted himself, lying down next to Otto, their heads resting next to each other, shoulders flush together. Jawn rested his hands and camera on his chest, Otto had on hand on his stomach, the other relaxed by his side.

“You laughed when I kissed you.” Jawn said, a teasing tone still in his voice.

“I was nervous. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re pretty hot.”

Jawn slid a hand off his chest and it found Otto’s by his side. They laced their fingers together, Jawn sighing softly.

“I still can’t believe you were nervous. I thought I was going to have a stroke when the bottle landed on you, I had been screaming in my head for it to.”

Otto grinned a bit. “I mean… I confess that maybe a little wind helped me out.”

Jawn smiled widely. “I knew it. You cheater." He was quiet for a moment. "Want to see it again?” He pulled out a charm vial he had gotten from one of the Hades kids. It was a small black bottle with a dark iridescent key embossed on it.

“Uh, yes!” Otto said, his hand gripping a bit more on Jawn’s. Jawn rolled onto his side, and Otto followed suit. He closed his eyes as Jawn opened the vial, rubbed the oil on his own forehead then Otto’s forehead after pushing off his beanie. Jawn pressed his forehead to Otto’s, closing his eyes too. His stomach lurched like it would on a roller coaster. In his mind’s eye, he and jawn were spiraling through space and time, flashes of color, of their lives together, passing by them.

They landed with a hard thud on the floor of Cabin 3. Otto and Jawn sat up, climbing up on the vacant bed, belonging to Awsten. They kept silent, holding each other’s hands as they watched the scene.

All the cabin counselors were piled in Awsten’s cabin, they all looked about 2 years younger, all a bit giggly from being up past lights out. Otto watched his younger self lean over and whisper something to Ciara who grinned. Otto’s eyes never left Jawn’s face.

Jawn watched his younger self smile and laugh with Geoff, occasionally stealing glances towards the son of Hermes. Older Otto turned his attention to Geoff and Awsten, this was the time when they were closest. He watched as Awsten, leaned his head on Geoff’s shoulder as the son of Apollo laughed with the son of Iris. Older Otto shook his head, wishing those two had just realized their feelings sooner.

“Okay! Guess what guys, we’re playing Spin the Bottle!” Ciara said, clapping her hands together.

“What??” Said the room collectively. Young Otto’s eyes still never left young Jawn. Older Jawn squeezed Older Otto’s hand and leaned into his ear.

 _“You stare a lot babe.”_ Jawn’s voice was echoy in Otto’s ear as, in this memory, he and Jawn were nothing but mists of spirits.

Otto leaned into his boyfriend, whispering back. “ _You’re pretty easy on the eyes.”_

“Well, the plan was to play 7 minutes in heaven,” Ciara replied to the collective question. “But you guys won’t play with the Hermes cabin.”

All eyes turned to young Otto. He just shrugged. “You guys get your shit back eventually.”

“ANYWAY.” Ciara said loudly. “I’ll spin the bottle to see who spins first!” She grabbed an empty vase off of Awsten’s table.

“Please be careful, his mom gave that to him.” Geoff said, watching them put the vase on the floor.

Ciara spun the bottle and it swung around, landing on… Oh! Geoff. Geoff’s face went red and he leaned in to the circle and spun the bottle. It spun and spun, finally slowing down until—

“Looks like Awsten.” Ciara said when the bottle started to stop. All eyes turned to Geoff and Awsten, both looking like all the blood rushed to their faces and might just explode. Young Otto was grinning widely, when they all looked back to the stopped bottle and saw it was actually pointed at the empty space between Awsten and the Ares counselor. Geoff and Awsten seemed to sigh in relief, but look disappointed at the same time.

“Well, that’s upsetting. Oh well. Alright, going clockwise, it’s Jawn’s turn.” Ciara said. Older Otto watched younger Otto sit up a bit straighter. He felt older Jawn squeeze his hand again.

Young Jawn leaned into the circle and spun the vase. Older Otto saw Younger Otto ever so slightly part his lips and blow out silently, making the bottle slow down strategically. As planned, it landed on the son of Hermes. The son of Iris and Hermes made eye contact, and Otto could feel his heart jump into his throat. Jawn grinned and got up, walking to where Otto was sitting. He plopped down in front of him, sitting criss-cross, still grinning widely.

“Ready, thief?” Jawn said, the whole room went “Oooooo!”

Otto wished he could think of something witty, but he was acutely aware that Jawn was leaning forward, sliding his hands over Otto’s hips, pulling him toward the flame haired son of Iris. The entire cabin was slowly starting to chant ‘Kiss, kiss, kiss!’

Jawn’s smirk faded and he leaned in, pulling Otto to him, closing his eyes and pressing their lips together.

Holy. Shit.

Otto kissed back, feeling an explosion shoot through his spine. He felt Jawn’s hands slide up his sides, and around his back. Otto closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss before the butterflies erupted in his stomach and chest and he started to giggle into it. It wasn’t a loud giggle, but it was still noticeable to Jawn, who pulled back, grinning a bit himself, not at all offended.

“This isn’t over.” Jawn whispered, his lips hovering over Otto’s, making him shiver.

Older Otto kissed Older Jawn’s shoulder.

 _“You weren’t subtle at all, babe.”_ Jawn’s voice floated into Otto’s ear.

 _“Obviously it worked.”_ Otto replied.

Older Otto noticed how long younger Jawn was still holding onto younger Otto’s hips. He grinned and was about so say something to Older Jawn.

When they were suddenly ripped out of the memory, Jawn being torn away from Otto.

“Ah!” Otto said, the jagged rip out of the memory charm left him with a splitting headache. When he sat up back in the present time, in the Strawberry Fields, he saw Jawn groaning on the ground and, to Otto’s horror, saw Iris herself standing in front of him, glaring in rage at Otto.

Oh… Oh fuck. Oh man, they were fucked.

“J-Jawn—“

“DO NOT SPEAK TO MY SON, SPAWN OF HERMES.” Her voice roared like thunder. Otto startled and scrambled to his feet, backing away. He reached for the vial around his neck, wondering if his dad would even come to help.

“YOU TWO ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BE ALONE TOGETHER, EVER.” She bellowed.

Otto tugged off his charm vial, not expecting much.

“Mom, stop.” Jawn said, standing up, rubbing his own aching head.

She turned to him, Otto noticed her beautiful gold wings for the first time.

She was terrifying.

“Jawn. My dear eldest son… You should know better than to fraternize with the children of Hermes.” Her voice was gentle, speaking to her son.

“Otto’s a good guy, he’s not going to try and hurt me. He’s not his dad.”

Otto swallowed, wanting more than anything to run to Jawn.

Instead, he turned and ran for his fucking life. It wasn’t Iris he was worried about, it was his own dad. The farther he got away from Iris and Jawn, the better. His heart panged when he heard Jawn yell after him, but he just kept running.

He finally stopped running when he spotted Awsten and Geoff at the archery range. He almost stopped to tell them everything that just happened, but then they started down the path to the docks. He decided he needed to hide. His dad, no matter how busy he was, would more than likely be coming for him.

And soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very tired.  
> And a little drunk.


	3. Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Run as far as the wind will take you.

“Otto?”

Otto startled, looking down from the high branch he was sitting on. It was barely light out, dawn hardly breaking over the mountains. His eyes, adjusted to the dark from sleeping in the trees, saw the silhouette of someone taller than him. He squinted a bit, and could make out the red hair.

“Jawn.” He hissed from his tree branch, the figure of his boyfriend looked up.

“What the hell are you doing up there?”

“Hiding. Shush, you’re being loud. Get up here.”

With some difficulty, Jawn climbed the tree to where Otto was. Jawn looked over his boyfriend, he looked tired in the dark, his beanie close to falling off his head, his shirt ripped in some places, his white sneakers muddy, and the charm that hid Otto securely around his neck.

“Otto…”

Otto looked down at his hands, picking at the hem of his now ripped Camp Half-Blood shirt.

“Did your dad find you?”

The brunette shook his head.

“Did he even come looking for you?”

Otto nodded. “One of my siblings told me as soon as I got back to the cabin that dad had showed up and was headed to the strawberry fields. So… I ran...”

Jawn noticed his boyfriend shivering. He must have been out here all night. He shrugged off his denim   jacket and put it around Otto. “Your dad scares you that much?” He murmured.

“I don’t know…” he pulled the jacket closer around him. “I…” He sighed. “I’ve met him a maximum of five times.” He looked back down at his hands. “I don’t want to disappoint him.”

Jawn carefully scooted closer to his sad boyfriend. “Babe… Are you more scared of coming out to your dad, than of him learning that you’re dating someone descended from Iris?”

Otto slowly nodded. Jawn scooted forward more until he could safely hug the son of Hermes. “You know that the entirety of Mt. Olympus is mostly made of bi and pansexuals right? Including your dad.” He couldn’t help but chuckle, trying to cheer up Otto who had tucked his head under Jawn’s jaw. He sighed closing his eyes, listening to the sound of his boyfriend’s kind, loving heart again.

“It’s just… different… he’s my dad… last time I saw him, he said he was proud of me…” Otto mumbled, snaking his arms around Jawn’s waist.

Jawn slowly rubbed his back, resting his cheek against Otto’s hair. “He’s still going to be proud of you. Granted, he may not like me much, but you’re historically the most gifted Hermes descendant to come to Camp Half-Blood.”

Otto blushed at the generous compliment, his fingers gripped Jawn’s sweater a little tighter. “What if he… what if he sets a monster on me? Tries to punish me?”

“For what? Being _gay_? Seems a bit extreme to me.”

Otto sat back, looking at Jawn whose hands slid down Otto’s arms, lacing their fingers together. Jawn looked at Otto’s face who looked like he was thinking hard about something. It suddenly hit Jawn.

“Otto… Have you ever come out to _anyone?_ ”

“I mean… Geoff kinda knows… he had a vision about us… Awsten might know? I don’t know though, he’s too caught up in his own little Gawsten bubble. And… _you_ know.”

“Your siblings?”

“Oh, they don’t care. If I told them, I’m not sure they’d actually listen.”

“They’re your family.” Jawn said, squeezing Otto’s hand.

“I know… but you also know where we come from. A lot of them don’t care about stuff that doesn’t directly involve them.”

“…. I think… You should start by officially telling Geoff and Awsten…” Jawn said, letting go of one of Otto’s hand, using it to tilt his head up. “If you’re ready, baby.”

Otto felt his nose sting, looking in the dark at the one person in this world who encouraged him to be himself and do whatever made him happy. “I love you, Jawn.”

Jawn smiled softly and wiped away a tear that escaped from Otto’s tired eyes. “I love you, Otto. More than anything.”

Otto leaned into his hand, watching the sunlight finally break through the mountains and slowly shine through the trees.

Jawn looked around the forest, finally being able to see how deep in they really were.

“Did you run into any monsters out here?”

“Not on my way in, but several have walked by through the night.”

Jawn looked back at Otto, now noticing the cuts and scrapes that freckled Otto’s hands and face. “Did you run the whole way here?”

“Yeah… pretty blindly too. You found me though?”

“I run faster because of my gift, remember?”

Otto nodded, remembering that Jawn was gifted with running with the wind, swift footed like his mother.

“Okay babe, here’s my idea. We go back to camp and get you cleaned up, and then, if you’re ready, I think you should tell Awsten and Geoff.”

Otto sighed and nodded. “You’re right.”

Jawn smiled and kissed his nose. “Let’s get down from here.”

He and Otto climbed down, landing into the fog on the forest floor. The sun hadn’t reached this low yet so it was still chilly and grey. Although the fog was new. Otto pursed his lips after he landed next to Jawn, taking his boyfriend’s hand.

“Tyler?” the son of Hermes called out into the forest.

Jawn looked at Otto, looking confused. “Tyler? Who—“

Otto pointed and Jawn looked seeing a boy, about as tall as Jawn step out from behind a tree several yards away. He was wearing all black, a hood pulled up over his head, his face looked sad, like, perpetually sad.

“Otto…” His voice was soft, naturally hoarse, and seemed to echo around them.

“Hey, how are you?” Otto said, gripping Jawn’s hand, pulling him to walk forward, towards this kid who- Jawn didn’t know why- scared the shit out of him.

“We’re okay.” He said. As they got closer, Jawn noticed the boy had on thick gloves hanging out of his jeans pocket.

Otto stopped mid walk, noticing the gloves too.

“Oh, is Josh here too?”

Josh? Who the hell… Jawn looked around confused, expecting another ghostly figure to materialize in the fog. Instead, another kid, a little shorter than the guy named Tyler, stepped out. His hair was fire red/orange, sticking out from under a red ball cap. He had gauges in his ears that suited him very well. He was wearing a t-shirt with sleeve cut off showing off his arm muscles with tattoos, and black skinny jeans. Jawn noticed silver coating Josh’s hands, he could hear the clinking of the hard metal on Josh’s finger tips as he nervously twitched them together. The guy didn’t bring fog, but instead had an intense heat/firey glow to him.

A Hephaestus descendant.

Otto noticed the silver of Josh’s hands just as the two linked hands together. Tyler blinked slowly, looking down at the silver coated hand that was gripping his own.

Otto smiled wide. “Well. We’ll leave you two alone.”

Jawn was confused, but grateful to be pulled away from the kid named Tyler who scared the shit out of him for no reason.

“Who… were those two? I’ve never seen them here before.” Jawn said once they were out of earshot, the fog thinning out.

“That was Josh, a Hephaestus kid who doesn’t leave the forging hut often.”

“And… Tyler?”

Otto swallowed hard. “That’s… Tyler… He’s a child of Thanatos…”

“Thanatos?” The name sat familiarly bitter on his tongue. He froze when he realized why he knew that name. “Th-thanatos??? The God of Death???”

Otto nodded, tugging Jawn back into a walk. “Yeah. He’s a really, really shy kid. He used to stay in my cabin before I came, but the Hades kids took him in when they saw how uncomfortable he was in the Hermes cabin. He and Josh started dating, like, 5 years ago, and it’s cute as shit. But they only hang out in the forest now, because everyone is afraid of Tyler.”

“Afraid?”

“Yeah. You felt the fear, I know you did.”

Jawn nodded, thinking about it. “I don’t know why, though.”

“It’s because everyone fears death. It’s a natural instinct.”

“Does he scare you?”

“Of course. But I also know he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He wears those gloves to keep from touching anything, because his touch is death.”

“B… but Josh!” Jawn said, realizing the two were holding hands when they left.

“Josh dips his hands in metal, just so he can touch Tyler.”

Jawn stopped again, staring open mouthed at Otto. “That…. Is…. Holy shit, so fucking romantic.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty gay.” Otto said, smiling that grin that Jawn loved.

“Well, the cabins are probably on their way to the mess hall, shall we get some breakfast?” Jawn said, as they reached the edge of the forest.

Otto turned to his flame-headed boyfriend. “I need to shower and change first, but I’ll see you there. Send me an airplane?”

“Always.” He smiled and kissed Otto, his hands finding their way to Otto’s scratched up, but still deliriously handsome face. Otto melted into the kiss, his brain telling him to forget food and showering, and just stay here and make out with his very attractive boyfriend. They broke apart a few minutes later, Jawn resting his forehead against Otto’s.

“Do me a favor…” Jawn said quietly.

“Anything.” Otto sighed, keeping his eyes closed.

“Don’t take this off, until you’re ready to face your dad.” He said, touching the charm around Otto’s neck. “That way, you don’t have any added stress.”

Otto smiled lightly. “You always look out for me.”

“And I always will.” He kissed Otto again, then sent him on his way to the Hermes cabin to get cleaned up. Jawn went back to his own cabin to wake up his siblings.

Otto showered and woke up his siblings, and they made their way to the mess hall, some of his siblings eyeing Otto’s cuts and scrapes, but not asking any questions to make their older brother uncomfortable. But they were nearly bursting to ask questions about why their dad had showed up looking for Otto. Otto shooed them to their seats and went over to where Geoff was talking to Awsten. Otto approached just as Awsten walked away and sat at the Dionysus table. Otto looked confused at Geoff.

“What’s that about?” He asked the son of Apollo.

“I dared him to sit somewhere else. I mentioned Hera but—“ The sky rumbled above them, making Otto flinch a bit. “—We decided that wouldn’t be a good idea.” Geoff said, tilting his blue eyes upwards. “What’s up?”

“Uh… Can I talk to you and Awsten tonight? After dinner?”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“I think so… Yes… Um.” He shook himself, not letting himself back out. “Meet at the docks?”

“Sure thing. See ya there.”

Otto nodded and walked back to his table, feeling Geoff’s concerned gaze follow him. When he got to the table, a little airplane was waiting for him on his empty plate. He smiled, unfolding it.

_‘You’re a thief but I want you to keep what you stole: My heart’_

Otto snorted and looked around to his boyfriend who had a huge grin plastered on his face.

“Pen.” Otto said to his siblings. He narrowed his eyes when his brother, Jackson, handed him that same pearl one that belonged to Geoff. “Okay, numbskulls,” He sighed, addressing the whole table. “You aren’t allowed to steal from Geoff anymore. You will return this to Geoff, Jackson.”

Jackson pouted just as April had, continuing to eat his pancakes. Otto just rolled his eyes and wrote his reply.

‘ _You cheesy shit, you need a better line than that to keep me around.’_

The paper airplane made its way back to the Iris table where Jawn opened it, Otto could hear him laugh all the way across the hall.

“You guys, we’re going swimming today. And don’t forget, you can _not_ try and steal anything from the nymphs, or they will drown you.” Otto said, addressing his siblings while he waited for Jawn’s response.

“Ugh, do we have to?” asked Wendy, a 15 year old with long brown hair, the same shade as Otto’s.

“Yes.” Otto said simply. Sure, he could flake on group activities with the rest of the camp, but he was a good counselor where it counted, making sure his siblings strengths were well rounded and kept up to date. “We’re the head team of the capture the flag game on Friday, and I know that a few of you will be in the water. And trust me, if we’re not on Poseidon’s team, you will want to be sure you’ve practiced swimming and holding your breath.” A few glanced to Awsten who was chatting with the Dionysus kids.

“Will he hurt us?”

“He is part of the Big 3.” They whispered at Otto, afraid Awsten would hear them and drown them right then and there.

“Of course not.” Otto said, offended they would imply such a thing about his best friend. “But you will get wet, and the water can get rough.”

The little airplane landed right on Otto’s hand. He ignored his siblings complaints about having to swim, and opened the letter.

‘ _Will “I love you and want to kiss you” work?’_

Otto smiled, a blush heating up his face. _‘Works perfectly.’_ He sent it back.

They finished their breakfast, Otto trying not to think about his dad or his siblings subtly trying to start the conversations about _why_ their dad (whom some of them had never met) had suddenly showed up looking for Otto, or where Otto had disappeared to through the night. They made their way back to the cabin to change for swimming, Otto still looking around, waiting for his dad to jump out from behind something. Otto changed quickly in his bunk and sat on the patio of their cabin, looking out to the lake. He saw Awsten and the Dionysus kids walking towards the strawberry fields, and a few minutes later, Cabin 7 heads to the Armory. Geoff spots Otto and gives him a wave as they walk by. Otto waves back then sighs, watching the Aphrodite cabin head towards Arts  & Crafts.

“Guys, hurry up!” He shouts over his shoulder, knowing his siblings were taking their sweet time because they didn’t want to swim. He rolled his eyes getting a bunch of exasperated groans from behind the closed door. His eyes landed on the edge of the forest where he saw Josh coming out, some fog trailing behind him, so Otto knew Tyler was somewhere close in the trees. Josh met up with his four other siblings who were heading to the Forges. Otto noticed, with a grin, the Josh’s shirt was off and hanging out of his back pocket.

The Ares cabin passed by on their way to the Arena for practice, when finally the Hermes cabin door opened and his siblings came out in their swimsuits and with their towels.

“Finally.” Otto said, standing up and leading the way to the water. His siblings grumbled and groaned, until they got to the dock and all jumped in. Suddenly they were all excited to be swimming. Otto just shook his head and dove in after them.

They swam freely for a few minutes before Otto lined them up and they practiced strength swimming, breath holding and weight lifting under water.

“Why do we have to learn this?” April panted after dragging a boulder up to the surface and dumping it on the dock before Otto pushed it back into the water for someone else to fetch.

“Because if you and someone else is caught in the water with a monster, how difficult do you think it’s going to be to drag an unconscious companion from the bottom of the sea bed?”

“That’s so morbid, Otto.” Jackson said, coming up with the boulder for the third time.

“Well, sorry, but that’s what our life consists of outside of this camp.” Otto snapped. His siblings looked up at him from the water. He rubbed his face. “Sorry guys, I didn’t sleep last night.” He sighed. “Uh…” He looked out at the surface of the lake, watching the Iris cabin canoe out. Jawn smiled and gave a small wave in Otto’s direction. Otto smiled softly in return. “Come on guys, we’ve had enough practice today. Let’s go.”

His siblings cheered and they made their way out of the water, and up the dock. Halfway to their cabin, they pass Geoff who has a squirming Awsten thrown over his shoulder. His siblings smile and say hi, laughing at Awsten’s expletives as none of them help him get away from Geoff. Otto grinned that wide shit-eating grin that he and his siblings all had, and stopped them, pinching Awsten’s cheeks and tapping his nose with a “Boop!”

“Are you having fun?” He asks, with an innocent tone that doesn’t match his smile.

“I hate you both.” Awsten responds, still trying to get out of Geoff’s grip that wasn’t loosening. “You’re the worst friends. Ever. If you really loved me, you’d save me, Otto.”

Otto grins a bit wider, lets out a laugh, ruffles Awsten’s blue hair and runs off to catch up with his siblings, the trail of expletives following him up the path. After all of his siblings has cleaned up, they went to lunch where Otto told them they had Arts and Crafts after their meal. Not a lot of them objected, Otto thought they were trying to avoid making him snap again.

At the arts and crafts pavilion, Otto used a special pen that the ink turned to different inks as the user wrote, and practiced his calligraphy. His siblings ranged in practice from painting, drawing, calligraphy and sculpting. Otto wrote a letter to Jawn, something he did every time his cabin was at the pavilion. He had probably 20 letters hidden under his bunk mattress.

“Who’s Jawn?”

Otto jumped, ripping the paper off the table and hiding it under the surface. He faced his oldest sibling, Lyra, a 17 year old with hair and eyes exactly like Otto. Had she not been tanner and doused in freckles, she and him could have passed for twins.

“U-Uh, what?”

She sat next to him at the table, cocking an eyebrow at him. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing. None of your business.”

“You know it’s not a good idea to blatantly hide things from us Hermes kids.”

“Lyra, please, lower your voice.” Otto said, glancing around a bit panicked. Her eyebrows pulled together. She decided the Jawn subject was going nowhere, so she tried another.

“Why did Dad come looking for you yesterday?” She asked quietly.

“It… It’s nothing.” Otto said, trying to keep them out of it. The less people involved, the lesser the punishment might be.

“Why’re you lying?”

“I promise, I’ll tell you when the time is right, but it’s not now. Okay?”

“Are you in danger?”

Otto swallowed his fear. “I’m not sure. I won’t know for a few days.”

“What if he comes back?”

“I’ll handle it. I’ll keep you guys safe, okay?”

“Safe?” She said, looking taken aback. “Are _we_ in danger?”

“No! No, this is something to do with me, and nothing to do with you guys, but I won’t let it affect you.”

She looked at him for a moment, then patted his shoulder. “Just… be smart… okay?”

Otto smiled his tight lipped smile. “I always try.”

She just rolled her eyes and went back to her painting.

About an hour later, he dismissed his siblings to do whatever they wanted until dinner. He walked past the Apollo cabin, on his way to hide his 21st letter to Jawn, when he heard the commotion of the 15 Apollo kids singing and playing instruments in perfect harmony. Otto wondered what they were up to, but his thoughts were interrupted when he saw Lyra rushing at him.

“Lyra?”

“Dad’s in the cabin.” She hissed stopping just in front of him.

The color drained from his face. “I-Is… h-he is?”

“Yes, and he’s pissed. You need to go. I can distract him for a little while until he gets bored and leaves.”

“B-but Lyra I told you—“

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you told me, but I know you. You aren’t ready to face him with whatever issue is going on. So go. Go hide. Now.”

Otto turned on his heel and ran straight for the only safe place right now: the strawberry fields. He ran past the two Dionysus kids who looked after him confused. He kept running, running and running, climbing through the overgrown part of the patches, the red berries blurring together, he glanced back until—

WHAM!

“Fuck!” Otto barked, smashing into a row of strawberries, squishing them under his hands, elbows, knees and feet.

“What the hell?” Said a familiar voice.

Otto looked up, trying to catch his breath, and saw his boyfriend bend over and pick up the envelope that was getting soaked under a crushed berry. He then helped untangle Otto from the wild berry plant.

“Babe, what are you doing here?”

Otto didn’t answer he just dove into Jawn’s arms, pressing his face into the other’s chest, his hands gripping into Jawn’s t-shirt. He tried to even his breathing, focusing on the flowery scent that always followed the son of Iris.

“You’re shaking…” Jawn said, dropping everything he was holding, wrapping his arms tightly around the son of Hermes. Otto squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel an anxiety attack trying to force its way out. “Breathe, hon, just breathe…” Jawn rubbed his back slowly, and pulled them down to the ground, letting Otto sit in his lap. “Come on… Take a deep breath…”

Otto followed his instructions, and began to calm down. He rested his head against Jawn’s shoulder.

“What’s got you so freaked?”

“My dad… is in the cabin… Lyra said he’s pissed… I… I-I can’t—”

“Shh, shh, okay, okay babe.” Jawn held him closer. “You only face him when you’re ready. He’s probably just pissed because he doesn’t know where you are. The charm is doing its job.” They stayed there, Otto settling into Jawn’s lap comfortably, playing with a leaf that he plucked off a plant.

“So…” Jawn said, picking up the envelope. “What’s this?” He had a grin, looking down at his boyfriend, the sun glinting off the golden ink that said ‘Jawn.’

“Nothing!” Otto said making a grab for it, but Jawn had a firm arm around Otto’s waist and kept the envelope out of reach. “Hey! Give it to me!”

Jawn grinned and stuffed it into his back pocket. “I’ll just have to read it later.”

“No, Jawn, come on, give it back!” He squirmed and tried to reach around Jawn and get the envelope. Jawn just grinned and grabbed both of Otto’s wrists, pinning him to the ground in an instant. Otto pouted, trying to get free.

“You’re the best thief in your cabin. You can steal it back before I read it. I have confidence in you.” He leaned in, lips ghosting Otto’s. “But you better be quick, because I will read it as soon as I can.” He pecked Otto’s lips.

“You should never challenge a Hermes kid. My siblings stole the chandelier from Tiffany’s for my birthday, remember?”

“And you, being the best thief around, returned it less than 13 hours later.” Jawn countered, proving that Otto was more than capable of stealing the letter back.

“If you’re so confident I can steal it back, why not just give it me?” Otto said, struggling against Jawn’s strong hands that were still pinning him to the ground.

“Because it’s easier to distract you, and make you forget that I even have it.” Jawn said, leaning in again. “We’ve got a couple hours until dinner. I bet I could make you forget in that time.”

Otto felt the blush creep up his neck. Then he thought of dinner. And what he was going to do after. He stopped struggling and looked up at his boyfriend, whose face faltered from its teasing grin.

“What’s wrong?” Jawn asked a bit softer.

“I’m about to come out to my best friends… I’m about to tell them about us.” He moved his arms, Jawn let go, and wrapped his arms around Jawn’s neck.

“Are you nervous?” Jawn asked, brushing a leaf out of Otto’s hair.

“I don’t know… I think… I’ll be happy when they know. It’s just the act of finally doing it.”

“Mm…” Jawn leaned down and kissed the son of Hermes.

Otto sighed into the kiss and closed his eyes. Being with Jawn made everything okay. He wasn’t scared when he was with his flame-headed boyfriend. He slid his hands into Jawn’s hair and smiled into the kiss.

This was perfect. This was all he needed.

With Jawn, everything was going to be fine.

At dinner, Otto was tempted to sit with Jawn, just to say Fuck It, but in reality, he was still petrified. His dad had left the cabin apparently after an hour of waiting, so he felt kind of safe going to dinner. He sat looking at his empty plate, not knowing what to summon, not even knowing if he could eat if he tried. His hands were shaking, he felt nauseous, and his palms were clammy. He looked to Awsten who was sitting alone at the Artemis table, then to Geoff who was whispering to his siblings. He shouldn’t be nervous to tell them. Geoff is as gay as the day is long, and Awsten is about as straight as a wet noodle. He was lost in his thoughts, completely abandoning the thoughts of eating, when he saw the entire Apollo table rise and bust out into song.

All Kesha songs.

Otto immediately looked towards Awsten who had a wide smile plastered on his face. He figured this must have been one of their dares. Otto watched the show, rolling his eyes when Geoff finished with an acoustic version of Awsten’s favorite song, and he can see from his table, Awsten sigh and swoon over the golden demigod like a lovesick fangirl.

_Unbelievable._

After the impromptu dinner show was done, he got up and shooed his siblings to the cabin. He himself headed down to the docks and waited at the end, looking into the water. He wondered what would be easier: drowning or finally coming out?

“Hey!”

Otto turned to see Awsten and Geoff coming down the wooden pier, both looking flushed and a bit giggly from the Kesha concert.

“Hey…” He said, trying to smile, but the butterflies in his stomach made him want to vomit.

“You okay? What did you want to talk to us about?”

Otto twisted his shaking fingers in his clammy hands. “I… I uh… have something kinda big to tell you.”

The both looked concerned at the son of Hermes. “Otto, you can tell us anything.” Geoff said, Awsten nodding in agreement.

“Okay…. I um…” He took a deep breath, trying to ignore another anxiety attack that was creeping up. “I-I…” He took one more breath and closed his eyes. “I-I’m gay.”

There was silence. Otto opened his eyes after a moment, his best friends swimming back into focus. They were both looking at him with huge grins.

“Wh… what? Say something…”

“Otto, we’ve known you were on the spectrum since we met you.” Awsten said, running forwards and hugging his friend.

Geoff smiled. “It’s not hard to tell. We knew you were at least bisexual.”

Otto blushed, hugging Geoff too.

“And…” He blushed more. “I-I’m dating Jawn.”

Awsten covered his mouth, Geoff smiled that blinding sunshine smile. “You guys are too fucking cute together!” Awsten said, getting excited, he had always shipped Otto and Jawn. What a nerd.

Otto felt like the world had been lifted off him for a moment. This was a better reaction than he could have ever expected from his best friends.

This was incredible.

“You guys are the best friends I could ev….” He trailed off, going pale as he looked up the dock. Awsten and Geoff whipped around, both letting out little gasps.

Otto was sure he was going to puke. His hand shakily reached up and felt for the charm… that was gone.

Fuck.

The figure at the top of dock finally spoke, steel grey eyes staring directly at Otto.

“I’ve been looking for you. Son.”

Fuck.


	4. Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otto can't stop shaking. He can feel his breakfast churning in his stomach. His dad fucking terrified him.

Otto was shaking, twisting his hands under the table as his dad stared at him from across one of the secluded picnic spots near the lake.

“So. You’ve been hiding from me.”

Otto swallowed and slowly nodded, unable to look away from the grey eyes that trapped him.

“Why?” His father demanded.

Otto couldn’t answer, he was afraid if he opened his mouth he’d vomit all over the wooden surface or start crying. Maybe both. He wanted more than anything to run right now.

“Answer me, son.” Hermes commanded again. “Why have you been using a Hades charm taught by Hera to hide your presence from me?”

He managed to finally break eye contact with his god of a father, and looked down at his trembling fingers, still terrified to tell his father the truth.

“Don’t try and lie to me, Otto. Tell me why. There was a disturbance with the Iris spawn the other day. Does it have something to do with that? Are you involved in a plot against the goddess? As much as I dislike her, an uprising is never a good idea.”

“What? No!” He managed to find his voice, his eyes snapping back up to his dad. “Dad I…” He chewed on the inside of his cheek. Everything he feared with Geoff and Awsten was miniscule with what he feared from his dad.

“You what?”

“Dad… I’m seeing someone—”

“Oh? Is that why you’ve been hiding? So dear ol’ dad can’t see the lovely lady you’re wooing?”

Otto swallowed, gripping his jeans. “Dad… I have a boyfriend…”

Hermes raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

“I’m gay… Dad…” He refused to look at his powerful father, fear seeping into his skin.

“And that’s why you’ve been hiding?”

“Well… that and… I-it’s Jawn… Iris’ son…”

His father went silent at this. Otto forced himself to look up to see his dad’s lips pressed into a thin line, lost in thought. Otto bit the inside of his cheek so hard he could taste the metallic blood. A million different scenarios raced through his mind, he gut settling on the worst one, that his dad was about to kill him.

“Well…” The god sighed and rubbed at some stubble on his chin. “That explains why Iris has been screeching at me for a few days now.” He looked at his eldest son, and could see every muscle in his body was tense. “Otto, relax. I’m not going to hurt you, or your precious boyfriend.” He rested his arms on the table top. “Son, you are the most gifted of my children to find your way into this camp. You can very nearly house kids just by shaking their hands. Except that Thanatos child, but thank the gods you didn’t touch him. You’re the best thief to gain my skills-” He grinned thinking about the time he showed up for Otto’s 17th birthday to congratulate the cabin on stealing the Tiffany’s chandelier, and even more on Otto silently returning it that same night. “If I killed you or hurt Jawn I’d only be hurting this camp’s increasing survival rate. Your siblings need you, the other demigods need you. Jawn needs you.”

Otto bit his bottom lip to keep from crying.

“Sure, I’m not fond of the fact that he’s an Iris spawn but… Does he make you happy, kiddo? Do you feel loved by him and all that human emotion nonsense?”

Otto nodded, still not wanting to speak.

“Then he’s welcome in our family. Son of a crazy rainbow lady or not.” His father’s face split into that shit-eating grin all the Hermes kids had inherited. “I’m so proud of you, Otto. Who you love doesn’t change any aspect of that for me. I swear, now just… Stop hiding from me, okay? I don’t like going on wild goose chases.”

Otto nodded again, his eyes welling up, unable to stop it. Hermes looked uncomfortable with his son crying, but he was uncomfortable with the emotional side of humans in general.

“You don’t have to wear a charm anymore, I will speak with Iris and we will keep out of your relationship. Oh.” He fished something out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. “Happy belated birthday, son. Go find your mate and get to feeling better. I’m sure I will see you soon. Keep making me proud.”

Before Otto could look up to respond, his father had gone. Tears were running down his cheeks as he looked at the small box on the table. He grabbed it and held it in his shaking hands. He stood and wobbily walked to the Iris cabin, knocking on the door, hoping Jawn would be the one to answer.

“Otto?” It was one of Jawn’s sisters. “What are _you_ doing here?” Unlike Jawn, a lot of the Iris kids were hostile to the Hermes kids.

“I-Is Jawn here?” He mumbled, still crying.

“….Jawn, an airhead is here to see you. And he’s leaking.” She sneered at Otto, making fun of his crying.

Jawn came around the corner, seeing it was Otto, and swallowed him in a hug. “Hey, hey why are you crying, baby?” Otto’s legs shook under him, he felt like he was going to collapse. He could hear Jawn’s siblings muttering and saying things to Jawn about calling a Hermes spawn ‘baby’. “Shut up, dumbasses.” He shot back at them, taking Otto to sit on a bench on the front porch.

“M-my dad…” He held on to Jawn’s shirt and cried, anxiety, relief, all his stress was at the surface and escaping from its broken dam.

“What? Did he find you??” Jawn said, starting to look a bit frightened. Otto nodded.

“I-I told him e-everything a-and…” He choked a sob and pressed his face into Jawn’s shoulder. “H-he’s still p-proud of me, h-he says y-you’re welcome i-in our family, h-he said he’s g-gonna talk to your m-mom a-and—”

Jawn leaned back a bit, cupped Otto’s face and crashed their lips together, calming his boyfriend’s racing mind, he always knew that Otto relaxed with him around and now that they had nothing to fear he was as free to kiss him in broad daylight, in front of his 6 siblings as much as he wanted. When they broke apart he hugged him tight, feeling Otto’s body relax and his sobs slow.

“Oh Otto, I’m so proud of you.” He muttered into his ear. “You did something so brave today.”

Otto gripped the back of his sweater. “I was so scared, he looked so mad when I said it was you… and then he asked if you make me happy…” He closed his eyes, feeling Jawn’s arms tighten around him. “You make me happy, Jawn.”

Jawn smiled, pressing his face into Otto’s hair. “You make me happy too, Otto.”

“Ugh, Jawn, are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Jawn turned, with some difficulty as Otto was refusing to loosen his grip on his sweater. He saw his 6 siblings piled out of the cabin, all glaring at him and the son of Hermes. Mostly the son of Hermes.

“The twink you’re dating is a _Hermes spawn?_ ” One of his brothers spat.

Otto pulled a face. _Twink?_

“That Hermes kid is the most powerful one, he’s probably just screwing you to get to our mom and hurt us.”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Jawn said defensively. “Otto and I have been dating for two years now, and he’s not a single time tried to raise a negative word against our mother.” He looked down at his boyfriend who was still holding on tight to the son of Iris. “Does he really look like someone who’s going to hurt us?” Otto looked up at Jawn.

“I wouldn’t ever hurt you.” He mumbled.

Jawn smiled softly, but his sibling scoffed. “He’s probably lying. Seriously, Jawn, they’re thieves, liars, and his dad has tried to destroy Mom on more than one occasion.”

“Then that’s my problem as the counselor, isn’t it?” He said, looking back at them.

“Don’t make me contact mom.”

“Feel free. She can’t do anything. She’s already tried.” He pressed a kiss to Otto’s forehead hearing his siblings go back inside, grumbling amongst themselves. “Let’s go to the fields.”

“But it’s late, the sun is going down.” Otto replied, not wanting to leave Jawn’s side.

“So?” He pressed another kiss to his forehead, then down the bridge of his nose until he found his lips. “Let’s go to the fields, Otto.” He muttered against his warm lips.

Otto stood with him, and they took off running, not getting there fast enough. They didn’t notice groups of kids heading back to their cabins, heads turning as the two counselors of Iris and Hermes were linked hand in hand, dashing away from their cabins. They raced to their secret spot, deep in the patch, panting and sweating in the summer night air when they finally reached the small clearing. Otto looked at Jawn, not letting go of his hands as they tried to catch their breath.

“Otto, don’t let them get to you. I trust you more than anything. I know you love me, and you know I love you.” Jawn said, stepping closer to Otto’s personal space. He let go of Otto’s hand to cup the sides of his face.

“But your siblings—“

“Can deal with me if they’re unhappy with my choices. I’m not someone to be walked all over, there’s a reason I’m in charge of them.”

Otto sighed and Jawn stepped closer, kissing him and hugging him. “We’re free Otto,” he smiled into the kiss and picked up his boyfriend by the waist, Otto yelping a bit before wrapping his arms and legs around Jawn for support.

“We’re fucking free!” Jawn’s smile was blinding, Otto fell in love with him all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS FIC IS STILL ALIVE, ENJOY THE INTERMISSION CHAPTER, DON'T FORGET TO READ ORANGEPATRICK'S ORIGINAL FIC, I'M YELLOW, YOU'RE NATURAL BLUE
> 
> CHAPTER 5 WE WILL BE GETTING BACK TO THE GAWSTEN MESS SEEING AS JAWN AND OTTO ARE FREE TO BE AS GAY AND HAPPY AS THEY WANT NOW

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUYS  
> I AM A GARBAGE PERSON AND NEEDED TO GET OUT MY GAY FEELINGS BECAUSE MY MAIN FIC IS DEPRIVING ME
> 
> I love OrangePatrick's original fic so much, they graciously let me write a companion piece from Otto's perspective. Also, have some crack shipping with Jawny Boy.
> 
> ENJOY.


End file.
